ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with the water control and management aspects of gravity flow irrigation systems. In individually owned irrigation systems, performance on the farm depends upon the farmer's ability to manipulate the water on the farm. Farm System refers to the individual farm in the command of an outlet. The farmer operates and manages the farm system. The overall performance of any irrigation system depends upon the performance of individual components. Water control refers to the ability of the system to distribute, apply, or remove water at the right time, in the right quantity, and at the right place. To have water control, the irrigation system must be planned, designed, operated, and maintained properly. Monitoring an irrigation project--its performance parameters and the factors influencing it--will not, in itself, result in improved system performance, even though it is a valuable data base for planning future irrigation systems.
